Corey Gallagher, Beer Mile Winner, Is From Winnipeg

Winnipegger Corey Gallagher came within seconds of setting a world record when he won the men's race at the first-ever Beer Mile World Championship in Austin, Texas on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old postman won his race in just over five minutes, beating next-closest finisher Michael Cunningham by seven seconds and third-place runner Jim Finlayson by 21 seconds, Bloomberg reported.

"I was aiming for the world record and came up four seconds short," he told the news agency. "I'm happy with the outcome, but really wanted to go under five minutes."

The Beer Mile works like this: every runner has to drink four brews and run four laps. A beer must be consumed at the start of every lap.

And the rules around the beverages are strict: no shotgunning, no "super mega mouth cans" and it must have a minimum five per cent alcoholic content.

In winning the Beer Mile, Gallagher did something Lance Armstrong couldn't. The ex-Tour de France champion trained for the race but only made it 400 metres in a qualifying event, The Independent reported.

He also beat out U.S. Olympic track and field athlete Nick Symmonds, who congratulated Gallagher on his win.